'Let's have a shutdown,' Trump says, as talks on immigration proceed

Washington - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a government shutdown would be "worth it for our country" if Congress is not able to reach an agreement on immigration legislation.

Speaking at the White House during a briefing about violent criminal gangs, Trump expressed frustration that "killlers" have been allowed to come into the United States. "If we don't change [US immigration law] let’s have a shutdown, we’ll do a shutdown," he said. "And it's worth it for our country. I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of.” John Cronan, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s criminal division, briefed Trump on the gang activity, telling him that MS-13 is "one of the most significant threats to the public safety of our communities." The gang has grown to more than 30,000 members worldwide, including 10,000 in the US, Cronan said, adding that its members "commit rape, robbery, extortion and murder often just for the sake of it." The briefing took place as Congress debates Trump's proposal on immigration reform, which includes his demands for funding for a border wall and other significant changes to US immigration law. The immigration reform bill is being discussed in tandem with the government spending bill in part because both face rapidly approaching deadlines. Another shutdown could come on Friday if Congress isn't able to pass a spending bill by then. Congress is trying to pass immigration reform by early March when a programme allowing immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to remain is set to expire.